Taste of Loss
by DigiExpert
Summary: Part of my young!Aaeru series. Grandpa decides to take Aaeru on a picnic lunch to celebrate her birthday. Unfortunately, what happens is something he could never have imagined.


**I actually referenced this event in one of the other stories I'd already written, but I really wrote it more so that it would flow. I decided I needed to chronicle the event in its own tale, and this is the result. Enjoy :)**

He'd wanted to do something special for her birthday. The weather was beginning to cool down, and there wouldn't be many more warm days before the winter would set in and they'd be confined to the house more. He enjoyed the colder weather less and less with each passing year. Since Aaeru was turning two, he'd decided to take her on a picnic lunch by the river. He'd packed a lot of finger foods that Aaeru enjoyed, along with a blanket.

Aaeru was walking everywhere, and she was stubborn enough to want to walk to the river. She held on to her grandpa's hand as she moved along, and he found himself trying to keep up with her pace. She seemed to know where they were headed.

"Fower," called Aaeru, pointing to the last of the dandelions.

"It is. Do you want to get it?"

Aaeru nodded and walked over to the flower. She crouched down, and clamped her fist around the stem. She pulled, and the force of her pull caused her to fall on her behind. She giggled and pulled herself back to her feet, bring the flower over to her grandpa. He bent over and looked at it.

"It's a lovely flower, Aaeru." The toddler nodded and then raised it to put into her mouth. "No, Aaeru, it's not for eating."

"Eat!" remarked Aaeru.

Her grandpa held up the basket in his hand. "The food is in here. It tastes much better than the flower."

They continued on their journey, finally arriving by the river. He set down the basket and blanket in his arms. As soon as he grabbed the blanket to spread out, Aaeru toddled over to the basket. Curiously, she opened the lid.

"Aaeru…" warned her grandpa.

Aaeru closed the lid. She watched as he went back to work unfolding the blanket. Then, she lifted the lid once more.

"Aaeru, you know it's not time yet…"

Her hands promptly closed the lid and she giggled. As her grandpa spread out the blanket, she opened the lid once more and began to reach inside for whatever she could grasp. She began to pull out an apple when she was swung high into the air. Up and up she went, letting go of the apple. She fell back down, and into her grandpa's arms. "You don't listen very well, do you?" he asked her, smiling. She shook her head. He set Aaeru onto the ground once more. "Now you can help me set out the food."

Aaeru didn't need to be told twice. She opened the lid of the basket again and began pulling out the rest of the apples. There was a bowl of chicken, as well as some cucumber slices, a chunk of cheese, half a loaf of bread, and a container of water. She carefully carried the water and cheese, as her grandpa helped with the chicken and cucumbers. The last thing Aaeru pulled out was the plates. Silverware wouldn't be necessary, as it was all finger food.

It wouldn't take long to prepare the meal for Aaeru, who he began to serve first. He mostly had to break everything into small pieces so that she wouldn't choke. Happily Aaeru began to munch on some chicken he gave her, barely able to grasp it in between her thumb and forefinger. Into her mouth it went, along with part of her fist. He smiled at her, giving her bread, cheese, and cucumber. Then he made a plate for himself.

Unable to sit still, Aaeru would walk around the blanket as she ate, returning when her hands were empty for more food. Her grandpa kept a careful eye on her as he enjoyed his own lunch. He watched as Aaeru went to her plate, picked up a piece of cheese, and then brought it to him, holding up her hand.

"What?" he asked, playing along.

"Eat." Aaeru pushed it toward his mouth.

"But I have my own cheese, Aaeru. See?" He pointed to his plate.

"Eat."

He smiled and gave in, leaning forward so that Aaeru could feed him, but she pulled her hand away at the last second and put the cheese in her mouth instead. "You're silly today, Aaeru." She only grinned. He leaned forward and kissed her forehead.

Cleaning her plate didn't take long. Her grandpa began to pack the food away, keeping an eye on Aaeru, who was venturing closer and closer to the river. "Aaeru, no. Stay over here!" he called, his voice indicating that she shouldn't disobey.

Aaeru did walk back toward him and he went back to putting the containers in the basket. Just as quickly as he turned his head, she took off again, going right to the river's edge. He turned his head back to her, only to feel fear strike his heart. "Aaeru!" he yelled.

The loudness in his voice startled her and she stepped back. Her foot caught on the edge of the bank and she slipped, tumbling into the water. The river wasn't deep, but it was higher than usual after the amount of rain they'd had that fall. It was deep enough that face down, Aaeru was completely submerged.

There wasn't any time to think. He rushed toward the river, searching for Aaeru. The water was clear enough that he spotted her right away. He pulled her from the water, ignoring the cuts and scrapes for the moment. He saw she was unconscious, and not breathing. Recalling the methods learned in his Sibylla days, he began to perform CPR on her, praying all the time that he could revive her and that she hadn't taken in too much water. He took care to adjust his methods to her small frame. Tempus Spatium, he wasn't going to lose her so soon, was he?

He repeated the ministrations when it didn't work the first time around. Worry began to creep in, and he wondered if his efforts were doing any good. Was he even doing it right? He couldn't lose the child he had come to love so much. He looked down at her as she began to cough and spit up the water she had swallowed. He helped her to expel the liquid and breathed a sigh of relief when she began to cry loudly.

"Thank goodness you're all right," he whispered, pulling her close to him, not caring about anything else, but the fact that she was still alive and hadn't drowned. He laid her down, looking her over. Her injuries were minor, and the bleeding had stopped on many areas. She would simply be scraped up all over for awhile. Reaching for the blanket, he wrapped her up to keep her from getting a chill from the cool air. By the time he was finished, only her face was visible. She cried softly still, hiccupping.

Her grandpa cradled her close, rocking her and whispering softly to her. "You scared me, Aaeru. I thought I was going to lose you," he whispered, his voice cracking. He leaned over to kiss her forward. "Don't scare me like that again. I never want to lose you."

Aaeru looked up at him with her big green eyes. Her crying ended, but she stayed nestled in the blanket. Her grandpa picked up the basket, and they returned home, drained from the toll the experience had taken on them both. That night, Aaeru slept in her grandpa's room, a way for him to know that she was close and safe. He hadn't lost her that day, but he'd come close.

**A note about Aaeru's birthday: I'd had him get her in the spring. Though the month is not named, it's right after everything's been planted. In my head, I think of May cause that's when my family used to get all the planting done. This makes her birthday in November. Secretly, part of me thinks November 12, cause that's my birthday XD**

A final note: A lot of Aaeru's actions at this age I based off one of my mother's daycare because I believe Aaeru would act somewhat similar to her. The actual child is nearing age 2, smart as a tack, and into everything, much like with Aaeru. Of course, her name isn't Aaeru, but you get the gist. She's my Abigator, or Abby :)


End file.
